"Hmm?"
Outside Jade Gate Pass, Chen Mengjun, who had just shattered hundreds of enemy soldiers with a single sword, suddenly turned her head and looked towards Changming Mountain. Her heart had been in turmoil the moment she sensed Lin Zhao's aura rapidly disappearing, and now, the golden ripple that appeared in the sky shocked her even more.
Even Chen Xi, who was currently fighting enemies with his fists, stopped his onslaught and looked into the distance, his heart filled with waves of emotion.
At this very moment, as the person within the golden ripple appeared, the very rules of the mortal world became incredibly potent, as if the gods of ages past had returned to the human realm.
On Jade Gate Pass.
The old general Bei Minghai also looked towards Changming Mountain with a look of shock. He knew that a Saint of the Upper Five Realms had descended, but he couldn't fathom the specific realm of the other party. All he knew was that their aura was unrivaled, and they were likely far beyond the fourteenth realm.
A mere fourteenth realm could not encompass the cultivation of that being.
...
Changming Mountain.
The unrestrained Five Peaks Ancestor, who had been laughing uncontrollably, suddenly looked up at the sky. The moment the woman in white appeared, he felt as though he was suffocating. He narrowed his eyes, wondering why such a being would descend for a mere Indestructible Inner Demon like himself.
"You're late!"
The Five Peaks Ancestor let out a low roar, unleashing a torrent of Inner Demon flames that engulfed the entire Changming Mountain. Simultaneously, wisps of flame converged, forming a sword tip that shot directly towards the woman.
The woman in white smiled calmly. As her lips curved, wisps of frost drifted into the air, transforming into frost orchids that, in an instant, extinguished all of the Indestructible Inner Demon flames unleashed by the Five Peaks Ancestor. The next moment, she arrived gracefully, opening her five fingers and pointing directly at the terrifying face of the Five Peaks Ancestor, which was severely eroded by residual divine power.
"You..."
The Five Peaks Ancestor was utterly shocked. He never expected to be unable to withstand even a single move from her. After all, he was wielding an ancient remnant of the Wind God. How could he not even withstand a single strike?
"A mere Indestructible Inner Demon dares to continue its wickedness?"
Wisps of spiritual energy, like white clouds and smoke, coiled around the woman in white's fingers. She said indifferently, "Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Return peace to the human realm!"
"Boom—"
With a deafening roar, a pure white cloud blossomed atop Changming Mountain. The next moment, the body of the Five Peaks Ancestor rapidly disintegrated under the impact of the majestic spiritual energy. The Wind God's remnant turned into countless golden spiritual lights and vanished into the mountain, returning to nourish the human realm.
In fact, most of the fortune and divine power remained within Changming Mountain. The woman in white's action was merely to protect it, as Changming Mountain had suffered immense losses in this battle, with its master Su Qingjiu sealed on Wutong Mountain and a significant number of disciples lost.
As for the Indestructible Inner Demon, it was utterly defenseless. Under the woman in white's palm, it instantly vanished like smoke and dissipated, utterly annihilated, never to be seen again.
"Disperse!"
The woman in white glanced into the distance and waved her hand. The Indestructible Inner Demon flames that had been entwining everyone immediately dispersed under a wisp of chilling fortune. Afterward, the woman in white saw Lin Zhao nearby, burned like a pile of charcoal.
His face was devoid of any color. His armor was almost completely melted, and the cloth wrapped around the Dragon Slaying Sword had all turned to ash, revealing the long-lost ancient sword in its entirety.
"Xiao Zhao..."
The woman in white frowned. She made a mental note of this debt, to be settled later. She knelt down, cradling Lin Zhao's body in her arms, and sighed. Her heart wavered. Perhaps she shouldn't have let him apprentice under Qin Suihan in the first place, becoming a scholar and enduring such grievances.
Looking at Lin Zhao's tragic state, she felt immense pain.
Naturally, it was also a failure of her duty as a master, otherwise her youngest disciple wouldn't have suffered so much.
Now, Lin Zhao's physical body was almost destroyed by the Indestructible Inner Demon flames. To save him, it would require more than just repairing his body; his Dao heart and soul also needed nourishment.
With these thoughts, she hesitated no longer. Holding Lin Zhao, she stepped into a golden ripple.
...
Within the ripple, Lin Zhao fell into a nightmare.
He was still a ball of fire, kneeling on the ground, every inch of his skin, every pore burning intensely. The searing pain was beyond words. Before long, Lin Zhao unknowingly stood up, his soul separating from his body. When he turned, he saw his own charred form.
Had he died again?
He let out a bitter laugh. However, this time seemed different from the last. After self-detonating his War God's Gallbladder, his consciousness had disappeared directly. It wasn't until the day of his soul's return that he slowly felt himself awakening. What was happening now?
"Xiao Zhao."
Lin Zhao stood in a vast expanse of heaven and earth. Suddenly, a woman's voice came from the sky. It was pleasant and extremely familiar, not his aunt Lin Xingchu's voice, but another, long-lost voice.
In an instant, Lin Zhao's soul felt as though it had been pierced. He experienced a sensation that was both entirely new and eerily familiar. He knew who the owner of this voice was, and he knew the deep bond they shared.
This bond stemmed from the Dragon Slaying Sword, and from destiny.
She was his true master, and also the master of his senior brother Ding Muchen and senior sister Ming Yuechi.
"Master?"
Lin Zhao looked up at the sky and softly asked, "Master, is that you?"
"Xiao Zhao..."
The voice gradually faded into the distance.
Lin Zhao's heart felt empty. He became anxious, quickly moving towards the direction from which the voice had receded. He carried a phantom Dragon Slaying Sword on his back, appearing as if he had once again become that scrawny boy who had just unearthed the Dragon Slaying Sword, his messy grey hair fluttering in the wind as he chased after it.
"Master! Master!"
With a choked sob, he stumbled and fell, his head bleeding profusely. After getting up, he continued to chase forward, saying with a sob, "Master... Master! You can't abandon me without even seeing me. Master... just let Lin Zhao have one glance, Master..."
He crawled and staggered, searching through the vast expanse of heaven and earth, but the voice grew fainter and fainter.
Finally, Lin Zhao had no strength left in his body. He slowly knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. He held the Dragon Slaying Sword in his embrace, weeping as he said, "Master, you left the Dragon Slaying Sword to Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao has always protected it carefully. My life changed because of the Dragon Slaying Sword, and I have always been grateful to Master. Master, are you really abandoning Lin Zhao like this?"
The voice was now very distant, until it disappeared entirely.
"Am I... dying?"
Lin Zhao knelt between heaven and earth, holding the Dragon Slaying Sword, tears falling one by one. "Master, Lin Zhao has disappointed you..."
...
The golden ripple flashed before his eyes and vanished.
The next moment, the woman in white, carrying the almost charred Lin Zhao, arrived beside a golden river. At this time, Lin Zhao, completely black, suddenly spoke, as if in a dream.
"Master... Master, is that you?"
"You... are you abandoning Lin Zhao?"
"Master, I'm sorry..."
"Lin Zhao has finally disappointed you. I'm sorry..."
Even though he was unconscious, tears flowed from his eyes, and his body trembled.
The woman in white looked at her youngest disciple in her arms, her nose stinging. Two lines of crystal-clear golden tears rolled down her eyes and dripped onto Lin Zhao's chest.
Holding Lin Zhao, she leaped and landed in a section of the golden river.
In fact, Lin Zhao had seen this golden river before. It was the River of Time, a place that only Saints could enter.
Only the Great Dao water from the River of Time could heal Lin Zhao's severe burns, and only the Great Dao water could nourish his severely damaged Dao and soul.
As he submerged Lin Zhao into the golden river, his charcoal-like skin slowly peeled off. Fresh red flesh and skin were constantly growing, and even his burnt hair began to regrow.
Instantly, the woman in white breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. My Xiao Zhao actually has hair.
...
"Halt! How dare you!"
The River of Time suddenly became turbulent. Immediately, a golden figure rose from the distant river, transforming into an incredibly majestic divine being. It was a River God guarding the River of Time, wielding a golden battle saber and speeding through the water.
"Immortal!"
The River God's golden eyes looked down, their gaze exceptionally bright. He said, "Immortal, why are you so unreasonable, rashly bringing someone into the River of Time, and even using the Great Dao water of the River of Time to nourish his body? Such a fortune cannot be bestowed without heaven's decree. How can you forcibly seize heavenly opportunities?"
"He is my disciple."
The woman in white said calmly, "He suffered this tragic fate in order to resist an Indestructible Inner Demon. Although the River of Time is condensed from the Great Dao, it should still bestow this fortune upon my Xiao Zhao. Since heaven does not grant it, I shall take it myself."
"Take it yourself?"
The River God exclaimed, "How can heavenly opportunities be seized? Immortal, you are being utterly unreasonable!"
"Oh?"
The woman in white slowly drew her sword an inch out of its sheath and said, "A mere River God in the River of Time dares to lecture me?"
"Preposterous!"
The River God roared with anger, raising his battle saber and slashing down. "How can the heavenly Dao be desecrated?!"
The woman in white smiled slightly. "I was hoping you'd make a move."
Saying that, a divine throne of brilliance appeared beneath her feet. Immediately, the Dragon Slaying Sword was unsheathed as if by itself, and a wisp of sword light poured onto the long river. Instantly, the giant River God was sent flying backward, unable to withstand even a single sword strike. His golden body was nearly cut in half, and he retreated repeatedly on the water's surface.
"Hmph!"
The woman in white smiled faintly. "My Xiao Zhao guards the human realm and resists the Indestructible Inner Demon, which is a deed that establishes the heart of heaven and earth. Why can't the opportunities of heaven and earth be seized?"
Saying that, she lightly raised her hand and retrieved three inches of river water from the river. In an instant, she refined it into a wisp of pale golden river water and poured it onto the hilt of the Dragon Slaying Sword behind Lin Zhao.
This, she thought, would be the first meeting gift from a master to her disciple.
Three inches of water from the River of Time should be enough for Lin Zhao to gain insight into many things, and it would be infinitely beneficial to his future cultivation and Dao.
After refining the river water, the woman in white couldn't help but smile slightly.
My disciples all begin at the fourteenth realm. If my Xiao Zhao were weak, how would that be fitting?